Microsoft Password Survive test coming—big security changes ahead!
Microsoft is about to hit the reset button on how millions of users sign in to their accounts. Starting this month, the company is phasing out the traditional password features in its Authenticator app as it moves toward a password-free future built on passkeys.
If you’ve relied on Authenticator to store and autofill your passwords, you’re running out of time to adjust. In June, Microsoft quietly disabled the option to save new passwords in the app. Now in July the autofill function is being turned off completely. And by August 2025, any passwords you’ve saved in Authenticator will be permanently removed.
Why Passkeys Are More Secure Than Passwords
This transition is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to tackle the security risks that come with passwords, especially as nearly half of U.S. adults still admit to reusing passwords or relying on weak ones. According to CNET’s security expert Attila Tomaschek,
“Passwords can be cracked, whereas passkeys need both the public and the locally stored private key to authenticate users, which can help mitigate risks like falling victim to phishing and brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks.”
Instead of typing a password, passkeys let you sign in using a fingerprint, a PIN, or facial recognition methods that are far harder for scammers to crack or steal. Unlike passwords stored on servers vulnerable to breaches, passkeys never leave your personal device, reducing the risk of mass data leaks.
How to Move to Passkeys Before Your Data Disappears
If you’re worried about losing your passwords, you still have options. Microsoft recommends moving any saved credentials to Microsoft Edge, where you can keep using them (at least for now). But security experts strongly encourage making the switch to passkeys sooner rather than later.
Setting up a passkey is simple:
- Open the Microsoft Authenticator app.
- Tap your account.
- Choose “Set up a passkey.”
- Sign in with your existing credentials.
- Follow the prompts to create your passkey.
Microsoft explained,
“If you have a password and ‘one-time code’ set up on your account, we’ll prompt you to sign in with your one-time code instead of your password. After you’re signed in, you’ll be prompted to enroll a passkey. Then the next time you sign in, you’ll be prompted to sign in with your passkey.”
This shift marks one of the most significant steps yet in Big Tech’s push to eliminate passwords altogether. As more companies adopt passkeys the days of memorizing complex logins or worse, reusing the same one everywhere may finally be numbered.
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